KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today was told that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, had tried to deceive a former banker by saying that the RM27 million deposited into Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s bank account did not come from SRC International Sdn Bhd, but instead a “donation from a Royal Highness”.
Former AmBank relationship manager, Joanna Yu Ging Ping, 48, agreed to the suggestion by Najib’s lawyer Harvinderjit Singh based on the instruction letter to transfer RM27 million from a construction company, Permai Binaraya Sdn Bhd to Najib’s 1MY account, ending with number 880.
Earlier, the witness confirmed that RM35 million from SRC International was transferred to Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd’s account, and RM34.99 million was subsequently transferred to its subsidiary, Permai Binaraya’s account.
A portion of it — RM27 million from Permai Binaraya — was dubbed as “Eagle 27” by Jho Low.
Harvinderjit: Based on this Permai Binaraya’s Maybank account statement, the RM27 million had originated from Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd?
Yu: Yes
Harvinderjit: He (Jho Low) was trying to get you to believe the money was not from SRC International. And that was a lie.
Yu: Yes.
Harvinderjit: A blatant, clear lie.
Yu: Yes, but ...
The lawyer then cut the witness off and indicated that he did not want her explanation.
Harvinderjit: Jho Low was trying to deceive you so that you would not be able to know that the RM27 million money that entered into the bank account ending 880, which belonged to Najib, originated from SRC International.
Yu: He was trying to tell me that.
Harvinderjit: No. He was trying to make you believe that.
The lawyer then suggested that Jho Low had lied to Yu by telling her that the RM27 million was a donation from a royalty when the money actually came from SRC International.
This, he suggested, was so that Yu would write it off in bank documents as a gift or donation.
The witness, however, said that they would only do that for foreign currency and not for ringgit.
Harvinderjit: Does he know this?
Yu: I don’t think so.
Najib, 66, is facing three counts of criminal breach of trust, one charge of abusing his position and three counts of money laundering over SRC International Sdn Bhd funds amounting to RM42 million.
The proceedings before Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali continues Monday. — Bernama
